Display rack divider



May 31, 1960 D. M. GANZ DISPLAY RACK DIVIDER Filed July 31, 1958INVENTOR.

M m 6 m M L FIG. 4.

DISPLAY RACK DIVIDER Daniel M. Ganz, 2707 Fox Road, Baldwin, N .Y.

Filed July 31, 1958, Ser. No. 752,224

7 Claims. (Cl. 211-184) The present invention relates generally to racksand fixtures for the display of relatively fiat stacked articles, and inparticular to an improved removable and adjustable divider arrangementfor use on racks or fixtures suitable for the display of greeting cards.This is an improvement over my earlier filed application Ser. No.498,731 filed on April 1, 1955, and entitled Display Rack Divider, nowPatent No. 2,869,732.

Known display racks for the merchandising and sale of stationary items,such as. greeting cards, usually include a stepped base havingrespective pairs of spaced walls fixed thereto and defining a pluralityof tiers or troughs which are adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsor like flat articles in side by side relation. In that the pluralstacks of cards or similar fiat articles which are to be displayed inthe respective troughs of the rack vary in width, it is frequentlynecessary to adjust the width of the dividers which are employed on therack in accordance with the width of the respective stacks of card.Further, it is often necessary to change the location of the respectivestacks of cards on the rack which also requires the facility foradjustment of the divider arrangement.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anadjustable divider arrangement for use on display racks which adaptssuch racks to accommodate plural stacks of cards or like articles inside by side relation.

In my copending application there is provided a divider for use on adisplay rack which includes a downwardly opening clip engageable overone of the trough-forming walls of the display rack. A divider body,which extends substantially at right angles to the clip and to thetroughdefining Walls, is mounted on the clip and for pivotal movement ina plane extending substantially transversely of the trough. In use, thedivider body is movable into a position straddling the space between theWalls of the trough and thereby define a partition across the trough.Although such divider arrangement has been found to be very eflicaciousin use and serves admirably to divide the troughs into compartments ofadjustable widths, there has been presented the practical problem ofpilferage when the dividers are employed on racks in stores. Since thedivider is held on the rack only by the use of the clip and is readilyremoved from its supported position on the trough wall, it is relativelyeasy matter for a passerby to remove the divider. Although pilferagedoes not necessarily represent a great monetary loss, it i a source ofannoyance to the storekeeper and frequently results in interleaving ofadjacent stacks of cards and the attendant need to rearrange or restackthe cards;

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improveddivider arrangement which may be accommodated in a display rack and iseffective to completely subdivide or partition the trough or individualends of the rack with reasonable provisions to preclude the unauthorizedremoval of the divider arrangement from the rack. To advantage, thedivider arrangement according to the present invention is suited topartition bins or v United States Patent O 2,938,634 Patented May 31,1960 troughs of varying widths and may be moved to adjusted positionsalong the length of the respective bins or troughs.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features andadvantages of the present invention, there is provided a divider for useon a display rack of the type which includes front and rear wallsdefining an elongated trough adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsin side by side relation, which divider comprises an elongated carriermember adapted to lie in the trough and extend lengthwise thereofbeneath the respective stacks of cards. At least one divider body isarranged to extend in a plane substantially transverse to the carriermember and means are operatively connected between the divider body andthe carrier member which mount the divider body for pivotal movement inthe plane and for displacement lengthwise of the carrier member intofurther planes substantially parallel to the first named plane. Thepivotal mounting for the divider body facilitates the adjustment of thedivider body to fit bins or troughs of varying widths; and the facilityto displace the divider body lengthwise of the carrier member enablesthe user to adjust the location of the partitions provided by thedivider bodies in accordance with the widths of the stacks to beaccommodated in the rack.

The above brief description as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment illustrating features of the invention, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a somewhat conventionaldisplay rack or fixture for greeting cards, having a divider arrangementembodying features of the present invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an elongated carriermember and divider body employed in the present divider arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section showing the relationship ofthe divider arrangement with respect to the front and rear walls of atrough of the display rack or fixture; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale and with partsbroken away, showing the divider arrangement as removed from the rack.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 adisplay rack or fixture 10 which is of conventional construction andincludes a number of troughs or bins in a step-like or tierconfiguration. Specifically the rack 10 includes a stepped base 12having a number of horizontal ledges, such as designated by the numeral14, and risers, such as designated by the numeral 16. Fixed to therespective risers are upright walls which are slightly inclined withrespect to the vertical (see Fig. 3), one pair of Walls being designatedby the reference numerals 18, 20. The walls 18, 20 serve as front andrear walls of elongated open-topped troughs or bins 22, which bins areadapted to receive stacks S of greeting cards C or like flat articles. I

In accordance with the present invention, a divider arrangement,generally designated by the reference numeral 30, is mounted within therespective troughs or bins 22 to separate the adjacent stacks S ofgreeting cards C from each other. The divider arrangement 33' includesan elongated carrier member or rod 32 which is adapted to lie in thetrough or bin 22 and extend lengthwise thereof contiguous to the frontcorner of the trough 22 defined by the ledge 14 and the front wall 18.Extending in planes substantially transverse to the trough 22 are anumber of divider bodies 34 which are mounted on the carrier member forpivotal adjustment to a partitioning aeaaese 3 position between thewalls 18, 20 of the trough 22 and for adjustment lengthwise of thecarrier member 32. The divider bodies 34 are each ofidenticalconstruction and are fabricated of any appropriate material,such as a styrene plastic, and include a body section 34a;:havingdiverging side edges 34b, 34c which merge into a rounded end 34d.Integral with the lower'end 34a of the divider body is a sleeve section34) formed with a through bore of a diameter appropriate ,to snuglyaccommodate the carrier member or rod 32. Accordingly, the respectivedivider bodies are mounted to pivotin planes extending transverse ofthetrough 22 with the carrier member 32 serving as the pivotal axis.Further the divider bodies may be placed within the trough 22, with thecarrier member 32 serving as a track or rail.

The installation of the divider arrangement 30 on the rack is relativelysimple and is achieved substantially as follows:

A carrier member 32 is assembled with the required number of dividerbodies being determined by the length of the trough 22 which is toaccommodate the divider arrangement and the number of stacks S of cards.C or the like which are to be accommodated within the trough 22, with acertain latitude for change during normal use. Initially the carriermember 32 is cut to be substantially equal in length to the overalllength of the trough so that the carrier member 32 by abutment with theend walls of the trough (not shown) is confined against longitudinaldisplacement when placed within the trough. Thereupon the carrier member32 is placed within the trough; and upon pivoting the respective dividerbodies 34 into their operative positions across the width of the troughbetween the front and rear walls 18, thereof,

the carrier member 32 is urged into the forward corner of the trough asseen in Fig. 3. In some instances it may be desirable to rotatablysecure the opposite ends of the carrier member 32 to the adjacent troughwall 18, as for example by beating brackets or the like. 'Howeverpractical experience indicates that such securement is not necessarysince the carrier member 32 is urged into its required position incidentto the movement of the respective divider bodies 34 into their operativeposition. When the stacks of greeting cards S are then placed into therespective troughs or bins 22 the stacks somewhat overlie the rod 32 andas a practical matter it'is dif- -ficult if not virtually impossible fora customer to remove any one of the divider bodies 34, unless of coursethe entire assembly of the carrier member or rod 32 and the pluraldivider bodies 34 are removed from the supported position within thetrough.

If for any reason the number of divider bodies 34 in the assembly isinsufiicient, or there are too many 'divider bodies, it is but a simplematter for the proprietor to remove the stacks S of cards, lift thecarrier member 32 out of its normal position and add or remove dividersas required.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of theinvention will be used without a corresponding use of other features.Accordingly it is appropriate that the appended claims be construedbroadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of theinvention therein.

What I claim is:

l. A divider for use on a display rack including front and rear wallsdefining an elongated trough adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsin side by side relation comprising, an elongated carrier member adaptedto lie in said trough and extend lengthwise thereof, at least onedivider body extending in a plane substantially transverse to'saidcarrier member, and means operatively connected between .saiddividerbody and said elongated carrier member mounting said divider body forpivotal movement in said plane andfor displacement lengthwise of saidcarrier member. 7

2. A divider for use on a display rack including front and rear wallsdefining an elongated trough adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsin side by side relation comprising, an elongated cairier' memberadapted to lie in said trough and extend lengthwise thereof, at leastone divider body extending in a plane at right angles to said carriermember, and means operatively connected between said divider body forpivotal movement in said plane and for displacement lengthwise of saidcarrier member into adjusted positions in further planes parallel tosaid first named plane;

3. A divider for use on a display rack including front and rear wallsdefining an elongated trough adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsin side by side relation comprising, an elongated carrier member adaptedto lie in said trough and extend lengthwise thereof, a plurality ofdivider bodies extending in planes at right angles to said carriermember, and means operatively connected between each of-said dividerbodies and saidelongated carrier member independently mounting saiddivider bodies for pivotal movement in said planes and for 'displacementlengthwise of said carrier member into further planes parallel to saidfirst named planes.

4. A divider for use on a display rack including front and rear wallsdefining an elongated trough adapted to receive plural stacks of cardsin side by side relation comprising, an elongated carrier rod adapted tolie in said trough adjacent the front wall thereof and to extendlengthwise of said trough, at least one divider body extending in aplane at right angles to said carrier member, and a sleeve operativelyconnected to said divider body and slidably supported on said elongatedcarrier rod and mounting said divider body for pivotal movement in saidplane and for displacement lengthwise of said carrier member.

5. In combination with a display rack including a base and walls whichare spaced apart and extend in substantial parallelism, pairs of saidwalls defining an elongated trough for receiving stacks made up of 'anumber of flat elements in adjacent and side by side relation, a dividerarrangement for each of said troughs of said display rack including anelongated carrier member disposed in said trough, a divider bodyextending in a plane transverse to said trough, and slidable meansonsaid carrier member and operatively connected to said divider bodymounting same for pivotal adjustment into a position between said wallsand abutting the rearmost one of said walls, said divider body beingadjustable lengthwise of said carrier member. a

6. In combination with a display rack including a base and inclinedwalls which are spaced apart and extend in substantial parallelism,pairs of said walls defining an elongated trough'for receiving stacksmade up of a number of flat elements in adjacent and side .by siderelation, a divider arrangement for each of said troughs for saiddisplay rack including an elongated carrier member disposed in saidtrough adjacent the front one of said walls, a divider body extending ina plane'transverse to said trough, and slidably engaged on said carriermember and operatively connected to said divider body mounting same forpivotal adjustmentinto a position between said walls and abutting therear Zone of said walls, said divider body being adjustable lengthwiseof said carrier member; Y

7. In combination witha display rack including a base and walls which.are spaced apart and extend in substantial parallelism, pairs of saidwalls definingan elongated trough for receiving stacks made up ,of811111111- ber of flat elements in adjacent and sideby side relation, adivider, arrangement for each of..said troughsfor said display rackincluding an elongated carrier member disposed in said trough, aplurality of divider bodies extending in planes transverse to saidtrough, and slidable means on said carrier member and operativelyconnected to said divider bodies mounting same for pivotal adjustmentinto a position between said walls and abutting the rearmost one of saidwalls, said divider bodies being adjustable lengthwise of said carriermemher.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

